Kids in Missions: Josh & Rocco Geppert
Two weeks ago, we got on a call with Joshua and Rocco Geppert (pictured with their parents, Matt and Jess, above) to learn how their mission trip went. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Hey, Josh and Rocco! Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your recent mission trip to Brazil. Could you tell us when, where and why you went?
Josh: We went to Brazil at the end of July, a week and a half before Friends Around the Table in Sao Paolo. We wanted to take friends we had grown up with in Pittsburgh on their first mission trip. We met up with Biblica de Paz first, which is Leticia’s home church. Then they took us to Cananéia to meet with different tribal groups. The team had met two of the tribes before and built relationship with them, but this time, at the end of our trip, we also met with a new tribal group; we had to take a boat to get to their island.
Our goal was mainly to build relationships, but also to hand out food, blankets, and to offer ministry. Sometimes, the people we met refused it or weren’t comfortable with it — like with the first tribe we met. I think it was good for our friends to see that: to have experiences of cultures where the Christian faith is not in the center, and to see both people who were open to ministry, but also others who are closed off. It was a new experience for them.
I think it was especially helpful for them to meet people who were not open to experiencing ministry. If you spend all your time in the church with pastors and other Christians, the people around you are usually open because that’s the community. Our friends from Pittsburgh had always been in youth group, at church, or serving with a Christian group, so for them, there was usually no tension over Christianity; it was always the center of whatever event they were part of.
We were able to talk through that tension with them. We had always talked about missions with them before, at youth group, or just hanging out, and they had wondered what it was like to go through difficulty as a Christian. Not persecution, exactly, but to be challenged as a Christian. They got to experience a little bit of that on this trip.
What were some of your highlights from the mission trip?
Josh: Before we visited the last tribe, which we knew about because of one of the other tribes, we had a time of prayer and devotion — a time of prayer in the Spirit to see what God was going to do that day. As I prayed, I pictured a person with disabilities who needed help, but didn’t have the right resources; I imagined being able to connect them with Leticia or someone else with medical experience.
When we went out, that ended up happening with two different people. We met one person who had a mental ailment, and another person — the chief’s daughter — who had cerebral palsy in her left arm. Now there is a follow-up medical missions team going in September from Biblica de Paz. That was really cool. I had never prophesied like that before.
Rocco: This felt much different from past missions trips because I was going to a new place, but with old friends. I have never done that before. It was such a different experience from going to Cambodia, for example. It was cool to see all the ways these tribes worked, and how our friends reacted to everything, and the emotion in all of the tribes — how that rubbed off on us. When we first met people in the tribes, they were really happy to see us, so that made us really happy. Whenever they told us about their school, they were excited, so we were excited for them too. When they were happy, it made us happy.
There were hard moments too. It felt devastating to go into one of the three tribes because there was so much sickness everywhere. That’s what it felt like and looked like: devastating. But when we started sharing Jesus, it made everything lighter. When we started giving out blankets and food, the mood of the entire tribe changed. Whenever they looked sad, we tried our best to help them feel as happy as possible.
What did you learn on this trip?
Josh: My dad always says, “Relationship comes before ministry.” This trip taught me how important that really is. The two tribes Biblica de Paz had visited before were more open. They knew us before we tried to minister to them; they felt more comfortable with us. The last tribe we went to, which we had never been to before, didn’t know us at all, so it took us around an hour or two of just talking to get to know them before they were open to ministry. I learned the importance of relationship through this trip.
Rocco: I learned that if you share something that is known all around the world, or something that is seen a lot, you can change the atmosphere. Whenever we shared the Gospel with them, the entire mood changed. When we first came in to that third tribe, they were unsure about us. But when we handed out Bibles and openly shared our religion with them, they engaged with us and changed the way they felt around us.
That was true mainly with the smaller kids: after we gave them Bibles and talked about Christianity, they were more playful with us. They wanted to show us what games they liked. They didn’t hide behind their parents or shy away from us.
What did you find most challenging?
Josh: Culture shock is a real thing. There were different rules around marriage and treatment of women. But to do ministry and build relationship, you have to get over that. That was a new challenge — one I had never seen before. I think it helped me grow as a missionary, for sure: now I know how to handle it. Seeing my dad and Mr Jamar going straight into the situation — leading by example — made me feel more comfortable.
Also, whenever they would open up and play games, that would ease the tension. We brought little inflatable soccer balls to play keep-it-up, where you’re not allowed to touch it with your hands. A lot of the kids wanted to get on my shoulders and run around, so we did that. With one tribe, we played volleyball, so that was fun.
Rocco: The language barrier. It was hard to communicate. It was hard to understand the way they lived and the spaces they lived in without communicating with them properly. There were translators from Biblica de Paz, but if I wanted to communicate with one of the kids, I would have to call them over to help. For example, if we were trying to teach them a new game, they didn’t always understand it, so then someone would come over and translate.
Rocco, we hear you were baptized on the trip! Could you tell us a bit more about that decision, and what it was like for you?
Rocco: Since I was 9, I’ve wanted to go to South America, because I had already been to Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, and North America with my family. So when we were on this mission trip, at our hotel, my dad wanted to baptize me. I was a little bit skeptical. I don’t know why. I just didn’t feel like I was called to do that at that time.
But whenever it came time, it felt like the puzzle pieces were starting to connect, and it was the right time for me to do that. It was always my dream to reach the six inhabited continents before I was 13. So in that moment, it was a different feeling: it was amazing. I committed to living for Jesus and dying for Jesus, and to loving Him forever.
That was the day we were leaving Cananéia. The whole day felt like nothing for me, even though we had a four-hour bus ride: it went by so fast. I was so happy. It felt like I was a new person, like I was starting a new life. Since then, I feel like I’ve grown my relationship with Jesus, and I’ve been almost like a pastor to my friends. I’ve been telling them all about what I believe, and how I live with what I believe in.
I’ve had lots of conversations with my friends about the trip: I’ve explained it and told them what we did there, how I understand it. It seems like they want to learn more about what we do when we go to these crazy places. Most of my friends are Catholic or Christian, so they get most of what we do. They understand that I was there for Jesus. It’s not as hard to explain it to them as it would be with someone who doesn’t believe.
Now that you’ve been to all six(!) inhabited continents, are you done with mission trips? What are your hopes for the future?
Josh: I don’t plan on stopping international missions any time soon. I really like doing that with my dad, whenever we get the chance. I would also love to bring more people who have never been on mission trips before. This trip was different because, usually, Rocco and I are the newbies in the group. And then I’d like to use what I learned from this trip in the future… even here, in Pennsylvania. A lot of people say you should treat your school like a mission field; I agree. I would love to apply what I learned about relationships in my school ‘mission field’.
Rocco: I don’t think I would ever want to stop doing trips like this. It was such an amazing experience – it’s my highlight of the year! I always try to tell my friends they should tell everyone they know about Jesus, and they should look for people in need to try to help them and spread the Gospel. If I ever see someone sad in my school, I always try to be the first one to go over and help them, and tell them that Jesus loves them.
"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do." Luke 10:21